teleworkers in the United States.
Telecommuting can’t happen without the support of businesses, but employees themselves are certainly driving the process. Studies show that more and more companies are offering telecommuting and other flexible options as a means of attracting, retaining, and motivating employees.
SHRM’s “2008 Employee Job Satisfaction” report indicates that many companies offer nontraditional scheduling options to employees to help them balance their work and personal lives. Fifty-nine percent of Human Resources (HR) professionals indicated their organizations offered flextime, which allowed employees to select their work hours within limits established by the employer. In addition to flextime, 57 percent of HR professionals indicated that their organizations offered some form of telecommuting: Forty-seven percent of respondents reported that their organizations offered telecommuting on an ad-hoc basis, 35 percent on a part-time basis, and 21 percent on a full-time basis. Thirty-seven percent of HR professionals said their organizations offered compressed workweeks, where full-time employees are allowed to work longer days for part of a week or pay period in exchange for shorter days or a day off during that week or pay period. Eighteen percent of HR professionals reported that their organizations offered job sharing, in which two employees share the responsibilities, accountability, and compensation of one full-time job. These types of flexible scheduling benefits allow organizations to recruit and retain motivated workers who may not be able or willing to work a traditional nine-to-five schedule.
A 2009 study by WorldatWork also indicated an increase in telework. The number of US employees who worked remotely (i.e., telecommuted) at least one day per month increased by 39 percent over the past two years, from approximately 12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008. In its survey brief, Telework Trendlines™ 2009, WorldatWork reports that the sum of all teleworkers — employees, contractors, and business owners — has risen by 17 percent, from 28.7 million in 2006 to 33.7 million in 2008.
4. The Growth of Telecommuting
Why is there such tremendous growth in telecommuting now? There are many reasons:
• Advanced technologies. The Internet and personal computers have contributed significantly to the ability of people to work from disparate locations. We now have broadband capacity to homes through cable, satellites, fiber-optics, copper wire, and wireless networks; we have improved electronics and communication devices, mobile phones, palmtops, and portable computers; we have sophisticated voicemail systems. All of these factors mean that employees can be just as connected to the workplace from their homes — several hundred miles away — as they are from the office around the corner from the boss.
• Reduced costs for office space. In the United States, the federal government found that it could save money on office space — and attract top-notch workers — by allowing employees to telecommute. At Sun Microsystems, where more than 19,000 employees — or 56 percent of the workforce — work away from the office at least once a week, real estate holdings were reduced by 15 percent in 2007. Expenses for employees who work from home at least part of the time range from 30 percent to 70 percent less than those for employees who work in offices.
• Employee retention. In an era of double-income families, it is not uncommon for one spouse to accept a job in another location, requiring the other spouse to leave his or her place of employment. Flexible options like telecommuting allow companies to retain spouses who might otherwise need to change employers as part of their relocation. Telecommuting also allows the retention of employees who have family care needs (either for young children or elderly parents), and employees with disabilities who might be difficult to accommodate in the traditional work setting.
• Traffic patterns. Congestion is often an issue in metropolitan areas. Major events, in some cities, have led to more employers exploring telecommuting options. When Salt Lake City hosted the Olympics in 2002, for instance, preparation for the event meant major road construction and traffic problems. Consequently, a number of employers were more receptive to employees’ requests to telecommute. Even in less densely populated areas, travel time can play a role in the move to telecommuting.
• Environmental issues. One of the early drivers of the concept of telecommuting, particularly in large, metropolitan areas, was the reduction of air emissions and the elimination of pollution. The federal government in the United States was an early adopter of telecommuting, and President Obama has pledged to expand the option even further under his administration.
• Employer benefits. Employers are often initially hesitant to allow employees to telecommute, primarily due to concerns that lack of physical presence will denote lack of involvement on the part of the employee. However, those that have allowed employees to work from home have been surprised to find that productivity actually increases, and employees report higher job satisfaction and improved morale. Alongside reduced real estate costs, many companies have also found that their absenteeism and turnover rates have declined after instituting telecommuting programs.
• Employee benefits. Employees enjoy the flexibility of telecommuting as well as the reduced commuting expenses and hassles. They are better able to balance the demands of home and work; they report reduced stress and higher productivity, and demonstrate a strong sense of loyalty and commitment to those organizations that recognize and respond to their personal needs.
Literally thousands of organizations, large and small, have embraced the concept of telework. Some of the companies that have been trailblazers include AT&T, Sun Microsystems, Best Buy, SC Johnson, Yahoo!, Qualcomm, Eli Lilly, and Cisco.
5. Myths and Misconceptions
There are a number of myths and misconceptions associated with telecommuting. Here are a few examples:
Telecommuting is a good idea for women with families, but other employees are unlikely to take advantage of this option. While telecommuting certainly is a positive option for both women and men with young families and can be a great addition to any company’s work/life practices, telecommuting should not be considered a childcare option. Employees of both sexes, with or without families, can benefit from telecommuting.
Employees will be too isolated and will become alienated from the team. The fear of isolation is an issue for employees; it is also a concern for employers. Isolation may be a misconception, however. A study by Charles Grantham of the Institute for the Study of Distributed Work indicated that virtual office workers spend 43 percent of their time interacting with other workers. Sixty-one percent reported that they contacted their coworkers two or more times a day, and 94 percent checked in three or more times a week.
While there is certainly potential for isolation when employees are working from remote locations and are not physically located near coworkers, isolation is not a certainty. Much can be done to ensure that there is regular and meaningful contact between the telecommuter and other team members.
If an employee wants to telecommute, they’ll be out of the office five days a week. Telecommuting isn’t necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition. While some employees do literally work in a remote location eight hours a day, five days a week, arrangements are varied and dependent upon the employee’s — and the employer’s — unique needs. In fact, according to Telecommute America, a nonprofit organization that promotes telecommuting, telecommuters work an average of only 19.3 hours a week from home.
If I let one employee telecommute, I’ll have to let all employees have the opportunity. Not every job is appropriate for telecommuting and neither is every employee. Jobs, for example, that require frequent face-to-face interaction with internal or external customers are obviously not right for telecommuting. Similarly, employees who require
